Budapest Seder stoned; none injured

Chabad rabbi’s house by Great Synagogue attacked twice.

By ABE SELIG
Budapest Great Synagogue (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Budapest Great Synagogue
(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sparking fears that rising far-Right political sentiment in Hungary may be intensifying, the home of a Chabad rabbi in Budapest was bombarded with rocks on Tuesday night as a number of people gathered there for the second Pessah Seder.
According to Eran El-Bar, a Jewish Agency representative in Hungary who attended the Seder, guests at Rabbi Shmuel Raskin’s table were stunned when the stones began smashing into the windows of the home around 11 p.m., just as the festive dinner was drawing to a close.
“The incident was alarming for some of those present,” El-Bar told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, “although a decision was made to continue with the Seder nonetheless.”
“But nearly a half-hour later,” he continued, “another rock smashed into the window. It was then that we decided to call the police.”
Hungarian police arrived at the home and even stationed a number of officers outside the home, El-Bar said. However, around midnight, another projectile slammed into the window – this time smashing a hole through the double-plated glass.
“The final incident was something stronger than just a rock being thrown,” El-Bar said. “It seemed to come from some sort of primitive weapon, like a slingshot.”
“It’s a miracle that no one was hurt,” he added. Although no suspects were apprehended, El-Bar refuted previously reported claims that police had responded to the incident nonchalantly.
“They responded to the scene,” he said. “There wasn’t any gunfire, and I think the police acted as was expected of them.”
El-Bar also said that he wished to stress the positive aspects of the holiday’s observance in Hungary.
“This was one unfortunate incident,” he said. “But it shouldn’t overshadow the fact that hundreds of young people took part in Pessah Seders throughout Budapest, including one at my home, and one that was held at the Jewish Community Center. All of those events took place without any incident whatsoever, and I think overall, that this was a positive Pessah.”
However, the attack on Rabbi Raskin’s home came at a time when fervent, far right-wing sentiment is building in Hungary, against the backdrop of national elections there later this month.
Hungary’s 100,000-strong Jewish community, most of which resides in Budapest, has been put on edge by the sharp spike in support for the far-Right Jobbik party among Hungarians.
Under slogans like “Hungary belongs to Hungarians,” Jobbik, whose formal name is the Movement for a Better Hungary, has employed fierce, populist rhetoric in its election campaign, and is expected to make significant gains when Hungarians go to the polls on April 11.
While the prime target of Jobbik’s anti-foreigner platform has been theRoma, Hungary’s Gypsy minority, the party has also expressed itsresentment of “foreign speculators,” including Israel, which partyofficials have openly declared are trying to control the country.
Moreover, Jobbik has been able to capitalize on widespreaddissatisfaction with the ruling socialist party, and is expected togain enough votes to enter the Hungarian Parliament for the first time.
El-Bar downplayed a link between the far-Right’s pre-election ascensionand Tuesday night’s attack but acknowledged that the the streets ofBudapest were awash with right-wing propaganda, and that stark,nationalist sentiments there had already begun to materialize in otherways.
JTA contributed to this report.